There’s just no reason to panic. We all figured we’d fill one of our needs via trade, it just ended up being the #2 slot in our rotation (Vazquez) instead of LF as widely expected. We did so in a way that should allow us to spend reasonable ammounts of money, if necessary, to address our other needs. Though we’ve been acting like it, Burnett is not the only ace available; our dogged pursuit of A.J. reminds me of the vigorous trade talks with the Pads earlier this offseason and we all know (and probably appreciate) how that turned out. Wren knows his limits (they seem to be in line with those of Reason) and I still hope that we turn our attention to Ben Sheets, instead of trading for Jake Peavy, once the Yanks overpay for A.J. Burnett. Would anyone be truly disappointed if we end up with Vazquez, Sheets (2/$32M – 3/$45M) and Dunn (something resembling the aforementioned deal for Ben) when the offseason dust settles?

…who isn’t the least bit surprised that the Winter Meetings turned out so unfruitful? The Braves might have had the money to pursue free agents, but the problem was that other teams (read: Yankees) also want the same free agents.

Just reading around the internets, and especially with what DOB mentioned yesterday, I’ve had this thought in my head that just seems to ring truer and truer with each strikeout on a potential acquisition. Nobody wants to come to Atlanta to play.

What happened the last few years that makes Atlanta such an unappealing place to play? Turner Field leans towards a pitchers park, and money’s likely the factor in why all the pitchers go elsewhere. And sure, Ted Turner might not be pushing $112 million payrolls anymore, but the TW/Liberty $80-86 million payrolls of recent years are still nothing to sneeze at, and there are far more teams that have significantly less to spend. It’s like the Braves have money, but still have a reputation for pinching pennies, and free agents become disinterested.

Is it Boras? Is it Bobby? Is it the legacy of Schuerholz, or the fear of Wren? Do big-name players feel that resurrecting success in Atlanta seems like a daunting task, and don’t want that kind of pressure? Am I the only one, if for example, were in AJ Burnett’s shoes, would feel that $80mil from the Braves would just feel different than $80mil from the Yankees? ..and not in a good way?

And RE: ejruiz’s question of Vasquez/Sheets/Dunn – that would make a great and successful offseason of acquisitions.

I for one, really care about the future of the Atlanta Braves and it looks pretty bright. I don’t want to over pay for Burnett (though I’ve always thought he could be a great pitcher) who could very well become a Mike Hampton. I’d love to get Peavy, but I don’t like the idea of giving up a lot of talent in return. But you never know if a prospect will live up to expectations.

I would honestly rather play it safe and play for the future. We should be good in a couple of years regardless of landing Peavy or Burnett. I’m still not sold that even if we get one that we’ll be competitive in our own division with the Mets and Phillies still looking strong.

I’ll still be rooting for the Braves this year regardless of what deals get made or don’t happen and I’ll still go to games and watch them play.

The Kevin Towers school of dealing. Who wants to do a deal with this guy now? His demands are completely unreasonable and he’s reaching for everything. If you’re the owner of the Padres trying to dump payroll because of your divorce, you have to be steamed right now at Towers. I suppose you could commend him for sticking to his guns, but he’s the guy making the most unreasonable demands I’ve ever seen a GM do in the time I’ve followed baseball. He says Peavy is tradeable, but with his demands Peavy effectively becomes untradeable.